1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water hoses for home and industrial use, and more particularly, to improved flexible hoses for connecting a potable water source to sanitary appliances such as faucets, toilet tanks, dishwashers, water heaters and clothes washing machines.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexible hoses useful for connecting hot and cold potable water sources to sanitary appliances are well known, such hoses being disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,159,027 and 5,024,419, and other patents cited therein. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,159,027 and 5,024,419 disclose hoses having a tubular core made of supple elastomeric material and an outer protective sheath formed of braided metallic wire. The core is preferably made of an elastomeric resin containing from 20 to 30 percent ethylene propylene copolymer, from 20 to 40 percent paraffin oil, and from 40 to 60 percent carbon black.
Flexible hoses having tubular cores made of an elastomeric material suitable for use in other industrial applications are also previously known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,948,293 and 3,994,673 disclose hoses having a rubber-modified polyolefin core, preferably polyethylene and butyl rubber, for LP gas installations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,881,576 and 4,905,736 disclose hoses having a polyamide core, preferably nylon, for refrigerant or fuel oil service.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,906 discloses rubber hoses useful as automotive fuel lines and having an inner core formed from a blend of acrylic rubber and a fluorine-containing resin such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafiuoroethylene-hexafluoroethylene copolymer (FEP), and ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETF).
U.S. Pat Nos. 5,264,262 and 5,348,779 disclose refrigerant hoses with an inner core consisting of a blend of modified polyolefin and polyamide resin, and one to ten percent caprolactam, preferably with an inside sealing layer of a chlorinated elastomer such as chlorinated polyethylene or chlorosulphonated polyethylene having magnesium oxide or lead oxide dispersed therein to protect the resin layer of the hose against deterioration.
U.S. Pat No. 5,349,988 discloses refrigerant hoses having a corrugated inner tube preferably formed of a polyamide material such as nylon.
Although flexible hoses having an extruded rubber core, usually ethylene propylene diamine (EPDM) rubber, inside a braided metal sheath are well known in the flexible hose connector industry, the commercially available hoses do not have composite inner cores and are not resistant to chloramine attack. During sustained use of such hoses, particularly on the hot water side, rubber particles slough off of the hose liner into the water. This degradation of the hose liner dirties the water supply, clogs filters and strainers, and eventually causes water leaks through the hose wall.